I’m delighted today to be joining the blog tour for the latest book from Maggie Christensen, and sharing my review – the second in her latest series, Secrets in Pelican Crossing, was published on 18th July and is now available for kindle (free via Kindle Unlimited) and in paperback via Amazon in the UK and US. My thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation and support, and to both Rachel and Maggie for my advance reading e-copy.
Amazon tells me this is “a heartwarming tale of family, friends, and second chances” – add in those perfect Australian settings and the fact that her characters are a little older and so easy to identify with, and that really captures why I enjoy Maggie’s writing so much. I really enjoyed the time I spent, among friends, at Granite Springs (you’ll find the series link here) – and, although I worried that I might not (change is always a touch difficult!) I grew to love Bellbird Bay even more (series link here). And now we’re at Pelican Crossing, and I’ve already decided I rather like it there – and I really enjoyed the first in the series, The Restaurant in Pelican Crossing, the most perfect introduction to a new location and set of well drawn characters who I’m going to enjoy spending time with. There was such a lovely mature romance for Poppy and Cam, laced with the complications of family, and with some real drama and skullduggery that made the pages turn considerably faster (you’ll find my full review here – and if you’d like to catch up with any of my others, just enter the author’s name in the search bar). We briefly met Liz in the last book – a friend of Poppy’s, one of the ladies who lunch – and I was looking forward to getting to know her rather better…
Divorced, frustrated by her daughter’s matchmaking, and resigned to staying happily single, Liz Phillips thinks she has her life all figured out… until she meets Finn Hunter.
Having moved to Pelican Crossing twelve months earlier to support his daughter after a family tragedy, Finn finds himself juggling family obligations and a demanding job as the editor of the local paper. He has little time for romance.
When Liz and Finn’s paths cross, there’s an undeniable spark between them. They quickly form a connection which neither of them anticipates.
Amidst the whirlwind of their relationship, a secret from Liz’s past resurfaces, threatening the closeness she shares with her daughters. Having Finn to lean on is a godsend, but Finn is concealing a secret of his own. A secret that once revealed could undermine the trust and understanding they share and destroy any chance of a future together.
Can Liz find her happy ending or is she destined to face the future with only her family for company?
Having heard about her experiences of on-line dating, I thought Liz might just be a bit of a party girl – no, she’s happily single, but her rather pushy daughter Mandy thinks things should be otherwise. She’s been through a difficult divorce, enjoys time with friends and her job as manager of the health centre – and with the arrival of a letter bringing back memories of a past only she and her elderly mother know about, she has more than enough on her plate. Until Finn, the editor of the local newspaper, crosses her path. There’s an instant attraction on both sides – but my goodness, he has plenty of challenges in his life too. He came to Pelican Crossing to support his daughter and her young son, her husband having been drowned in a freak accident – and although he’s managed to turn around the paper’s fortunes too, there’s real uncertainty about its future.
The relationship that develops between them is simply gorgeous – a tentative romance I really believed in – but there are certainly a few challenges. Liz’s past is no longer a secret – and as well as handling the emotional side of that, it causes real problems for her relationship with her two daughters. And Finn, already providing a lot of support to his family – his relationship with his grandson is so lovely, helped along by the arrival of a young spaniel – finds he has a fight on his hands to keep the newspaper’s future alive. And, should he fail, what would happen to the support he’s giving his family – and what would it mean for his relationship with Liz?
The author has a very special way of involving you in her characters’ lives – I really felt for Liz as she tangled with her many issues, the moments of joy and those of desperation and upset, and entirely identified with her as her life became ever more difficult. I knew the story would more than likely be heading for a happy ending, but there were times when it looked increasingly impossible. Especially when Finn chose to keep his own secrets – something Liz found so difficult to forgive. The supporting cast was excellent too – Mandy’s a bit of a drama queen, but thank goodness for level-headed Tara, and the lingering sadness of Finn’s bereaved daughter is really well captured too. I very much enjoyed the female friendships – but had quite a soft spot for Finn’s friend Joe, the mayor of Pelican Crossing, who helped him in his fight for the paper’s survival (and I’m rather delighted we’ll be getting to know him even better in the next book in the series!).
This really was the loveliest read – a touching and wholly believable mature romance, all those family complications, the impact of the emerging secrets, and a few moments of particular drama and uncertainty. A story beautifully told and all, of course, against the backdrop of this well-drawn community and the individuals who call it home. One I’d very much recommend – and I’m already looking forward to the next book in the series.
And I’m delighted to report that the next book in this lovely series – Joe and Gill’s story – is now available for preorder. A New Dawn in Pelican Crossing will be published on 26th September.
About the author
After a career in education, Maggie Christensen began writing contemporary women’s fiction portraying mature women facing life-changing situations, and historical fiction set in her native Scotland. Her travels inspire her writing, be it her trips to visit family in Scotland, in Oregon, USA or her home on Queensland’s beautiful Sunshine Coast. Maggie writes of mature heroines coming to terms with changes in their lives and the heroes worthy of them. Maggie has been called the queen of mature age fiction and her writing has been described by one reviewer as like a nice warm cup of tea – warm, nourishing, comforting and embracing.
From the small town in Scotland where she grew up, Maggie was lured to Australia by the call ‘Come and teach in the sun’. Once there, she worked as a primary school teacher, university lecturer and in educational management. Now living with her husband of over thirty years on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, she loves walking on the deserted beach in the early mornings and having coffee by the river on weekends. Her days are spent surrounded by books, either reading or writing them – her idea of heaven!
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Thanks so much, Anne 😊